Day 63 - Portage to Furneaux Lodge, 30.2km, 7 hours 20 minutes

Another big day took me to within just 13km of the finish tomorrow.
After my posh room last night, I was too Scottish/Dutch to lay down another $25 for a continental breakfast, so used my balcony to cook up some porridge.

Hitting the trail it was perfect walking weather for this time of year, sunny with no wind to cool things down, a welcome change now there is snow on the Richmond Ranges just to my south.
There was a fair amount of up and down today, on a clay trail that was often extremely slippery.  With my boots now pretty trashed - to say the least, there are numerous large holes in the stitching and very little tread remaining - I must have often looked more like an ice skater than a tramper.
After some time I passed the head to Kenepuru Sound.

Working my way along Queen Charlotte Sound towards Endeavour Inlet I was treated to a fantastic view of the outer sound, with the North Island hazy on the horizon...

...with the inner sound also looking pretty good.

After a long day walking I made it to the head of Endeavour Inlet, famous as the place where Captain Cook stopped numerous times to rest up and replenish water.

I finished the day with a swim in Endeavour Inlet.  It wasn't too cold which I was surprised about given the time of year.  Who knows, I might get in more than a perfunctory swim at trail end tomorrow at Ship Cove. I'm now now safely ensconced at the bar at Furneaux Lodge for my last evening on trail.  It's Mexican night.  Queue canned mariachi music and bad booze.  It kind of reminds me of fantastic nights out in Chihuahua and Juarez listening to the real thing.